Thanks, Mother
by wisegirlgranger
Summary: If there's one thing Athena learned from the Titan War, it's that the Gods are terrible parents. And Athena hates being bad at anything. So when her daughter needs help, Athena decides to step up. One-shot/drabble


**Hey guys! I have finals in two days, and I really need to study, so I spent the last 2 hours writing fanfiction. I've had this idea in my head for like, 3 months now, and it's such a relief to write it down :)**

 **Good luck with your exams if you have them, and if you don't, happy early holidays to you :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~WGG**

* * *

" _You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?"_

 _"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."_

" _And you've got no idea what happened to him?"_

 _Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me goodnight, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."_

" _How long were you guys together?"_

" _Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."_

* * *

Annabeth didn't sleep much. She felt like half of her brain was splitting in half. One side trying to plan and think and remain collected, while the other side of her brain was turning into a river of heartbreak and grief and mush and basically everything a child of Athena isn't. But damn it, it was _hard_ trying to come up with a strategy to get Percy back when she was so terrified of what she may find when they do locate him. After all, statistically speaking, there was like a 99% chance he was already dead or dying at that very moment.

And she had been so excited a few months ago, when Hera appeared and told her to look in the Grand Canyon for a guy with one shoe. She had been certain it was Percy. But _no_ , instead they found three overage demigods, two with false memories and one with amnesia. And now Hera, the goddess responsible for this whole mess, is chained and Jason and Piper and Leo have gone to find her.

Maybe it was a sign. Maybe the Fates were trying to tell her that Percy's already gone, and she should just give up.

 _Stop it, Annabeth. Don't think like that_. Annabeth growled and turned her pillow to the other side. What was it Silena had told her after Mount St. Helens erupted? _Stay positive. If he truly loves you, he'll come back. Even the gods aren't that cruel_. But then again, what did she know? She and Beckendorf ended up dying away from each other anyway.

Finally, Annabeth allowed the grief to consume her, and she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

She was in a beautiful, pristine ballroom. The way the light flowed through the windows, making an intricate pattern on the floor, and the giant fresco depicting an orchard of some sort were clear indications that it was built during the baroque period.

"Yes, your assumptions are correct. This building was, in fact, painted and designed by Michelangelo during the Renaissance," a voice behind her said. Annabeth quickly spun around and stood face-to-face with a tall, regal woman holding a sword and a shield embellished with a hydra head.

"Mother! It's good to see you. Why did you bring me here?" Annabeth asked, as she knelt.

"Rise, my child. I wanted to talk to you." Athena smiled. "If there's one thing I learned from the recent war, it's that we Olympians are terrible parents. I am trying to fix that."

She sounded so stoic about it, Annabeth couldn't help but smile. _Of course_. Her mother's hubris was pretty bad.

"Anyway, my dear. I have been watching you, and you have not been sleeping well - well, actually, sleeping at all - since your- _ahem_ \- boyfriend disappeared. You have been unfocused and not the usual Annabeth I am used to seeing. I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it," Athena continued, holding her arms out. Annabeth allowed herself to be swallowed into a hug. Much to her chagrin, she found herself crying into her mother's shoulder. Even more surprisingly, Athena wasn't yelling at her for doing so.

When the tears finally tried, Annabeth sniffled and pulled away, saying, "I'm sorry, mother. I have not been the best daughter lately," as she offered a watery smile.

"I may be a maiden goddess, Annabeth, but I do know a thing or two about love. And I know how much grief hurts." Athena gave her a concerned look, before continuing, "Please take care of yourself. No one is expecting you to be your usual self. And Piper? She may be a daughter of Aphrodite, but she does have a good head on her shoulders. Talk to her about how you're feeling."

Athena reached out and brushed one of Annabeth's curls out of her face. "I have lost children before - Washington, Hamilton, Benny - of course, you would know him as Benjamin Franklin- and Madison-"

"Gods, Mom!" Annabeth interrupted. "Did you give birth to _every_ Founding Father? I thought it was only Washington!"

"Well, Hamilton too. The others were also demigods, but unclaimed, so I looked after them as if they were my own. Zeus was asleep for much of the Colonial era and American Revolution, so I was able to actually interact with my children and as a result, met many of their friends as well. And when they died,"

Athena paused and looked at Annabeth, whose eyes had widened fearfully. She sighed, realizing the only way to cheer her daughter up was to share some _very_ sensitive information that _koprophage_ Hera had shared at the last "Ladies of Olympus" meeting.

"Annabeth, I know Percy is alive and well. I also know where he is, but if I tell you, Hera will have my head. But the answer is right in front of you, you just have to look for it."

Annabeth glared at her mom, then realized she will not be getting answers that way. "Alright, mother. If it's that simple, I must already know it. I just have to put the pieces together."

Athena smiled. "Start with what you know."

"Okay. So three new demigods showed up. Two are normal. Jason is not. Those tattoos, his coin, the fact he already seemed to know about our world. Either he is a monster, or a demigod. But he is _not_ a monster because he got through the magical barrier just fine. But I didn't recognize him, and neither did Chiron. However, Chiron did seem unsettled by his presence."

Annabeth looked over at Athena, who nodded for her to continue. "So he must be a demigod or have some godly blood in him. And there is that whole thing with the latin. Traditionally, we automatically know Greek - Latin originated in Italy, after all…"

Annabeth gasped and looked up. The fresco was of an apple orchard - more specifically, the Garden of the Hesperides. And right in the middle of it was Hercules. No, Heracles. Hercules was his Roman name. Rome. The rumors that she'd heard around camp since she was a child.

"Jason's a Roman demigod, isn't he? They must have their own training camp somewhere. And that's where Percy is." Athena's smile confirmed her suspicions.

"Wait, Jason had amnesia when he first got here. Does that mean Percy doesn't remember who he is? That he doesn't remember…remember me?" Annabeth's voice broke.

Athena reached out and patted her daughter's shoulder. "I know you'll get through this. You are, after all, my daughter. Do not give up hope, my child."

Annabeth hugged Athena again, and then asked, "Wait, why are you talking to me? Isn't Olympus closed?"

Athena's eyes widened in shock. " _Vlacas_. I have to go. Good luck."

And just like that, Annabeth woke up.

* * *

Malcolm peeped his head into the cabin, saying, "Hurry up, shower time is almost up. Do you want me to save you breakfast? If you want to sleep a little more…"

Annabeth jumped out of bed and said, "Nah. We have a lot of work to do. I have a feeling Percy's still alive somewhere, but knowing him, he's going to get himself into trouble very soon."

Malcolm smiled. This was the most energetic his sister had been in quite some time. "I'll tell our siblings."


End file.
